Shaun’s Rambles 007: On Teaching Science Fiction — The Reading List
How do I select what I teach in my science fiction courses? http://media.blubrry.com/shaunsrambles/archive.org/download/ShaunsRambles007OnTeachingScienceFictionTheReadingList/ShaunsRambles007–OnTeachingScienceFiction–TheReadingList.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Duke’s Herp Files 001: Reptile-tastic Photos and Videos from 7/16 & 7/28/15
So begins a new chapter on this blog: I’m going to start posting videos and pictures from my herping adventures right here so you all can view them at your leisure! What’s in this edition of Duke’s Herp Files? A video comprised of happenings on 7/16/15 (north central Florida) and 7/28/15 (near the Gulf Coast of Florida), including a ribbon snake munching on a frog and my friend and I releasing a blue phase Eastern garter snake! Two photo albums from the aforementioned dates. Enjoy!
Shaun’s Rambles 006: Interviewing the Fans — Jukka Halme
What do Moomintrolls, Tolkien, 1978, and reindeer steaks have to do with Jukka Halme? In my third Interviewing the Fans feature, I talk to Jukka Halme about becoming an sf/f fan, the works that influenced him, the changing technological landscape, and Finland. http://media.blubrry.com/shaunsrambles/ia601508.us.archive.org/31/items/ShaunsRambles006InterviewingTheFansJukkeHalme/ShaunsRambles006–InterviewingTheFans–JukkeHalme.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
Adventures in Teaching: The Space Opera Syllabus Reading List
As most of you are aware by now, I’m teaching an upper division literature course in fall. The theme: American space opera. A few weeks ago, the department approved my syllabus, so come the end of next month, I will be teaching a whole lot of really interesting works. Here’s what my students will be reading:
On Academic Brain and Compartmentalizing
As an academic, it is often very difficult to shut off the faculties I’ve spent the last fourteen years building. Since I spend almost every day of the week analyzing literature, reading or thinking about theoretical/philosophical texts, I generally use my brain in a very particular way. Turning that off is a chore, but a necessary one. In fact, it is often so difficult to turn off that even some of my colleagues have expressed dismay at the inability or unwillingness of other academics to turn those faculties off just long enough to have a “regular conversation.” It’s a problem I’ve seen, too, and it sometimes results in a distancing effect between those who can’t turn it off and those that can. Since I’m so often engaged in everyday sf/f fandom, the exercise of flipping that little academic switch is, in my opinion, crucial. One such exercise occurred last Sunday when I went with a friend to see Ant-Man, the last entry in Marvel Studio’s Phase 2. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and if I can muster the words to say something intelligent about the film, I’ll write a review for Totally Pretentious. Discussing the film on Twitter eventually prompted a brief discussion with David Annandale and John Stevens about the impact of “academic brain” on one’s ability to enjoy a creative product.
Shaun’s Rambles 005: Interviewing the Fans — Rachael Acks
What do Transformers, unicorns, and Rachael Acks have in common? In the latest edition of my Interviewing the Fans feature, I talk to Rachael about how she became a fan, how genre has influenced her, dystopia fatigue, and more. You can find out more about Rachael and her work on her website and her Twitter account. Enjoy the episode! You can download the MP3 here or stream the file below. Intro and outro music comes from “Pyro Flow” by Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com); licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://media.blubrry.com/shaunsrambles/ia601505.us.archive.org/35/items/ShaunsRambles005InterviewingTheFansRachaelAcks/ShaunsRambles005–InterviewingTheFans–RachaelAcks.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS